The Best Coach Ever
February 5, 2013
In the fall of 2004, another of the inductees with my father to the first-ever Hall of Fame Class of Stevens Point (WI) Area Senior High School was Rick Reichardt, arguably the best male athlete the community ever produced. Rick played four sports in high school, both football and baseball at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and on two Major League Baseball teams.
In his own acceptance speech that evening in 2004, Rick said that my dad was the best coach he ever had. Well, Dad was merely Rick’s Little League baseball coach.
That’s remarkable in and of itself. What’s more remarkable is that Dad never played organized baseball. He never developed the skills of the game. Yet Rick said Dad was his best coach ever.
Eventually, I’ve figured out Dad’s “secret of success.” Dad didn’t coach a sport. He coached people.
Our just-published winter issue of benchmarks is devoted to coaches like this and to the coaching profession. Read it here.
Participation in Perspective
March 4, 2016
In school sports, we promote playing more than winning.
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We know that kids would rather play on a losing team than only sit and watch on a winning team.
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We know that, more than winning, kids play for fun, friendships and fitness ... for the “Fs” more than the “Ws.”
But participation alone is not our goal in school sports. The goal is high participation with high standards.
Our mission is to increase participation and to raise standards, including standards of eligibility, conduct and care.
We know that as we raise such standards for participation, we tend to raise the value of participation for students, schools and society.